Very similar in appearance to the "Tall Oregon Grape", this shorter shrub can also be identified as the "Dwarf Oregon Grape" and can be differentiated by its 14 leaves (more than the Tall Oregon Grape). Although it also has the dark green leaves, bright yellow flowers in springtime, and black/blue-colored berries that resemble grapes, this plant reaches no higher than a foot off of the forest floor.
Just starting to flower at this location
See Carkeek Park Journal entry for context (June 3, 2012).
Mahonia nervosa, commonly known as Dwarf Oregon-grape, Cascade Oregon-grape, or Dull Oregon-grape, is a flowering plant native to the northwest coast of North America from southern British Columbia south to central California, with an isolated population inland in northern Idaho. It is especially common in second growth, Douglas-fir or Western Redcedar forests, making use of those pools of sunlight that intermittently reach the ground. Some authors place the genus Mahonia within the genus Berberis.
